The Entrepreneur: Jeff
Pettit, 47, founder of Floppy Sprinkler USA LLC in Baton Rouge,
LouisianaProduct Description: Rain on
Demand is a water sprinkler with a silicone tube that can rise and
rotate 360 degrees, distributing water in a 40-foot circle. The
primary advantage of Rain on Demand is that its softer tube
produces large water droplets without mist-so more than 90 percent
of the water falls in the intended area. Traditional sprinklers,
which use a piece of metal to disperse the water, create a
substantial amount of mist that floats away, with only 65 percent
of the water falling in the target area.Start-Up: $150,000 in
2000Sales: $250,000 in 2002The Challenge: Getting your
product sold over a home shopping network and maximizing those
sales to get your product into normal channels

It takes a lot of time and work to get a new product featured on
a home shopping channel. Here's how Pettit recommends handling
the challenge:

Steps to
Success1. Make sure your product has the right
features for the consumer market, and market the product
so it appeals to as broad an audience as possible. Rain on Demand
actually started out as an agricultural product for farmers. Pettit
redesigned the product and packaging for the consumer market and
dubbed it Rain on Demand. To make the product appeal to even more
people, QVC, the cable channel home shopping network that first
featured Rain on Demand, also came up with the idea of pitching the
product as "a sprinkler for kids to run through," says
Pettit.

2. Evaluate the networks.
The various home shopping networks don't like to sell the same
products as each other, so it's best to approach them one at a
time. Says Pettit, "I watched all the shopping networks and
decided that QVC had a no-hype, straightforward style that I felt
most comfortable with and would be most effective with Rain on
Demand."

3. Submit your idea. "I
went to the QVC Web site (www.qvc.com) and downloaded the forms for submitting
an idea," says Pettit. After filling them out, he waited for a
response. If you're interested in selling via a home shopping
network, you should check their Web sites monthly. The networks
frequently go from city to city looking for new products, so you
just might have the chance to present your product in person. The
networks also set aside certain days for inventors who want to go
to the network and present their products to buyers.

4. Answer any questions and document
your claims. "After about three months, QVC
contacted me for more information," says Pettit. QVC wanted a
video of the product in action as well as substantiation of the
claims made on the packaging. Any time you plan on selling a
product, it's a good idea to start documenting your claims from
the moment you begin developing the prototype.

5. Attend a class for first-time
presenters. Preparation is essential for a successful TV
appearance. QVC, for one, offers a free full-day seminar on all the
dos and don'ts of appearing on a home shopping channel.
"The class dealt with how to create one sentence that could
sell your product, how to sell the features of the product, and
what to expect when I went on the air," Pettit says. "The
class was a big help in preparing my script."

6. Ship your product as soon as
possible. QVC ordered 4,500 units from Pettit but
wouldn't air the Rain on Demand spot until the product was in
hand.

7. Trust the host. When the
big day finally arrived in July 2002, "I had a script
prepared, but I only got to talk to the host, Jill Bauer, for a few
minutes before I was on the air," says Pettit. "The host
did a great job and said the right things to sell the
product."

8. Follow up with the buyer
afterward. Because the buyer at QVC was pleased with
Rain on Demand's sales, the station scheduled another
airing.

9. Capitalize on your success with
home-shopping in your regular markets. Getting your
product featured on a TV shopping network is a big endorsement for
most retailers. After all, TV shopping networks only feature
products they know consumers want. Promote this in your marketing
materials.

"Currently, we have the product in about 200 Gulf Coast
garden centers and hardware stores," Pettit says. "I
include information about QVC in my sales package and have
attracted the interest of two distributors and a catalog retailer.
With the combination of distributors and QVC, we are expecting
sales [to quadruple] in 2003."

PATENT PENDING

Protect your idea
with an "inventor's notebook" to document all your
work. Drawings, written concepts and meetings should be recorded in
the notebook.

Every two to four weeks, have witnesses
sign the last page of your notes with a statement to the effect
that: "The information on pages XX-XX [pages from the last
witness signing] is confidential, and I have read and understand
these pages." Since your notebook is a record that verifies
when you had your idea, it is a key piece of evidence in any
potential patent dispute. This kind of notebook is also valuable to
potential investors and partners because it documents the work
you've done to create and develop your idea. You can generally
find permanently bound record books with numbered pages at office
supply stores or on the Web, at sites such as CleanSweepSupply.com
and Eureka Lab Book Inc. (www.eurekalabbook.com).
Prices start at approximately $20.

Lessons Learned

1. Start watching the networks long
before you're ready to sell your product. Pay
attention to the particular products sold by the various networks
as well as when they sell those products. For example, Pettit found
out that QVC wouldn't sell his product after July because it
was considered seasonal.

2. Approach the network well in advance
of when you want your spot to air. The networks take
time to respond. Once you get a response from the network,
you'll schedule your initial meeting. After that, expect to
spend weeks or even months working out details, attending the
class, and getting your supply of products to the network before
the spot runs. So start the application process six to nine months
before the date you want to sell your product.

3. Have a persuasive demo tape
ready. Products that sell well on TV are ones that can
convince consumers with only a brief demonstration. You should be
able to demonstrate your product in 10 to 15 seconds. The focus of
the tape should be the product "selling itself" rather
than having the narrator pitch the product's benefits.

4. Test the quality of your
product. Home shopping networks are concerned about
returns, and they won't sell a product they believe isn't
reliable. If possible, you should try to document any product
testing you or others have done before approaching the
networks.

5. Approach another home shopping
network if you get turned down by the first one.
Networks plan products around themes, such as gardening or lawn
care. So even if your product has the potential to sell well on TV,
it may be turned down if it doesn't fit into the network's
plans.

6. Expect the network to order just
like a store. In other words, they'll typically pay
you the listed wholesale price and offer you net 30-day terms.

7. Be prepared for some
returns. The shopping networks order enough of a product
to ensure they won't run out. But part of your agreement with
the network states that the vendor may need to send products back
to you if they don't sell. If your product doesn't sell,
you could get stuck with substantial returns.

8. The network will be in charge of how
your selling time is used. Don't try to dictate how
your product will be sold, as the networks have much more
experience in what approach will sell best.

Most Likely to
Succeed
Does your product have what it takes to sell well on TV? Products
with the following characteristics are most likely to be
successful:

Visual image: You need to
create a clear visual image that lets people immediately connect to
your product. This can be a picture of it or of the problem it
solves. For example, people can easily understand from a product
picture the dispensing racks that hold multiple soda cans in the
refrigerator. But they may need a visual of a weed remover in
action to understand how it works.

Immediate customer
response: Customers have to decide to buy a product
quickly if it's going to succeed on TV. To generate an impulse
order, products must satisfy a need or desire that's important
to the consumer. If people have trouble with gophers in their
yards, they'll buy a product that promises to solve that
problem quickly. You can also get an immediate response if you tie
your product to a customer's self-image. People who want to
appear sucessful at the office will not hesitate to buy a product
that helps them project that successful image. Among the
strongest-selling products on TV shopping networks are beauty and
fitness aids-two categories that meet well-known consumer
desires.

High demand: The TV
shopping networks sell to a broad spectrum of people, and they look
for products that appeal to a broad spectrum of their target
customer group-primarily women who spend time caring for
their homes. Cleaning products, jewelry, cooking products, home
decorating products, crafts kits and yard products all appeal to a
wide range of target customers and will generally sell well.

Variety: Once your initial
product is successful, you need to offer your products with several
variations for buyers to choose from. For instance, offer different
colors or new features, or pair the product with different
complementary items. A painting tool, for example, might come with
a paint-can opener one year and a masking aid the next year.

Promotional programs:
Immediate buyer response is increased when a TV sales offer
includes extra components, a free add-on product, or some other
promotion, such as "Buy two, get one free."

WALK ON-AIR

Besides QVC, other
major home shopping channels include the Home Shopping Network
(www.hsn.com) and ShopNBC (www.shopnbc.com). You can log on to the Home
Shopping Network Web site and click on "Vendor
Information," where you'll find the "Getting Started
Demo," an informative page titled "How to Get My Product
on HSN," as well as the "Vendor Requirements
Manual." ShopNBC uses vendor fairs rather than direct
submissions; it posts vendor fairs on its Web site. You'll need
to submit an application to attend a vendor fair, and you should
check the Web site often to see what products ShopNBC is looking
for and to get dates and locations of vendor
fairs.

Don Debelak is the author of Think Big: Make Millions
From Your Ideas. Send him your questions at dondebelak34@msn.com.